Google Local Services Reportedly Expand to Canada

Consistent with increasingly clear signs of Google’s dominance in local, the company is expanding local service ads to Toronto and Vancouver, Canada, Search Engine Land reported.

Launch in 2015 in Silicon Valley’s home court, Local Service Ads have since expanded to a whopping 90 markets in the U.S. and are now making their way abroad, where searches for local services are abundant.

The service pertains to 13 verticals in the U.S. and will kick off with three in Canada: HVAC service, plumbers, and locksmiths. Google told Search Engine Land that it’s seeing five-fold growth in the local services category.

As one of its latest possible local features, Google has also started testing in local service ads a feature that shows searchers how many times a business has been booked. This is one more way Google’s demonstrating right on SERPs why a consumer might access a local business, potentially eliminating the efficacy of SMB or franchisee websites.